fabric

noun

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fab·ric | \ ˈfa-brik

Definition of fabric

1a : structure, building

b : underlying structure : framework the fabric of society

2 : an act of constructing : erection specifically : the construction and maintenance of a church building

3a : structural plan or style of construction

b : texture, quality —used chiefly of textiles

c : the arrangement of physical components (as of soil) in relation to each other

4a : cloth sense 1a

b : a material that resembles cloth

5 : the appearance or pattern produced by the shapes and arrangement of the crystal grains in a rock

Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More About fabric

Examples of fabric in a Sentence

The curtains are made of expensive fabric. scarves made of woven fabrics the fabric of the community

Recent Examples on the Web Our sample of 549 HR and Business leaders identified driving innovation into the fabric of the learning function as a key theme when looking to 2025. — Jeanne Meister, Forbes, 5 Jan. 2022 This year’s crop is unusually large and includes a number of pictures that have sewn black and white into the fabric of their visual stories — for specific reasons. — Daron James, Los Angeles Times, 5 Jan. 2022 That’s the premise behind a new category of workout clothing that strategically disperses additional mass across your body through weights sewn into the fabric. — Ashley Mateo, WSJ, 4 Jan. 2022 The Fisk Jubilee Singers became the first group to introduce African American spirituals outside the Black community and into the broader fabric of American culture. — Travis Levius, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Dec. 2021 The regime of the populist firebrand Hugo Chavez tried for years to plant anti-Israel sentiment into the political fabric of the predominantly Catholic nation, and sought to establish closer ties with Iran and Palestinian leadership. — Orge Castellano, sun-sentinel.com, 13 Oct. 2021 How will NFTs merge into the fabric of sports card collectibles? — Nick Diunte, Forbes, 29 Dec. 2021 Now, more than 40 years later, that Olympic spirit is alive and well, woven into the fabric of Whiteface Mountain, its impressive slopes, and the surrounding area. — Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 20 Dec. 2021 In a nearly 50-year span, Springsteen’s music has been stitched into the fabric of American culture. — Los Angeles Times, 16 Dec. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fabric.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for fabric

borrowed from Middle French & Medieval Latin; Middle French fabrique "act of construction, something created or constructed, the created world, structure, construction and maintenance of a church," borrowed from Medieval Latin fabrica, going back to Latin, "process of making something, craft, art, workshop," noun derivative from *fabricus "of a craftsman," from fabr-, faber "craftsman, smith" (perhaps going back to dialectal Indo-European *d^hab^h-r- —perhaps of non-Indo-European origin— whence also Armenian darbin "smith," from *d^hab^h-r-sneh₂) + -icus -ic entry 1

Note: The Latin derivative fabrica may have been shortened from fabrica ars, perhaps literally "smith's craft, smith's place of work." The base *d^hab^h-r- has been compared with Gothic gadaban "to happen, be suitable" and a host of related words (see daft), though the semantic link is tenuous.

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